


Compliments

by sunaddicted



Series: Tumblr Prompts 2020 [5]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Detective Edward Nygma, Future Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26615842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: [...]“Yes, well, you and I are very different”“Not that much”
Relationships: Jim Gordon/Edward Nygma
Series: Tumblr Prompts 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654798
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	Compliments

**Author's Note:**

> @dashokeypokey asked for riddlergordon + compliments - I'm so sorry it took me so long to fill in this prompt and I hope you don't mind I decided to use the private investigatoer iteration for Edward!

_ Compliments _

“This is good work, Ed”

Edward had an excellent memory for compliments: whether they were the fruit of mere flattery or genuine in their intention, he memorized them all to revisit when he needed a little boost, trying to squash down any ugly voice teasing him about how frankly ridiculous it was that he craved praise to such a degree; he didn’t need the likes of Huge Strange or Lee to tell him why - he knew the reason, it only made him feel angrier.

So, when the words absentmindedly slipped past Jim’s lips, Edward’s mind unhelpfully conjured up the last time the other man had praised him in such a way; it had been a while and in a work-related situation to boot, which didn’t really surprise him: no matter how much Jim had kept insisting on the fact that they had been  _ friends _ , Edward had always known better than that - Jim had tolerated him for Lee’s sake and her friendship with Kristen.

Jim hadn’t really  _ seen _ him out of work, but at least he had recognised his genius there - amidst bodies slashed open and crime scenes taken apart with the glance of an eye.

It was embarrassing how, back then, it had been enough for him.

It was even more embarrassing how it was enough for him even now - enough to make him freeze on the spot, warmth blooming in the pit of his belly and heart thumping a little faster.

“I’m glad to have you back on our side, I’ve always thought it a shame to lose a mind like yours”

It was like the other man was reading from a script straight out of Edward’s dreams; he ducked his head low, using as an excuse the body sprawled at their feet even if there wasn’t much more he could tell the other man without taking it to his office/morgue/flat and delving in its depths with the proper tools - still, it was better than letting Jim see how the words affected him, bringing blood just beneath the surface of his skin, turning it a rosy pink that was easily spotted on his pale complexion: the life of a private investigator was just as nocturnal as that of a rogue “I’m on the side of who can afford me” Edward pointed out.

“I said the same to myself and anyone who would listen to me when I was a bounty hunter but the truth was that I never changed sides”

“Yes, well, you and I are very different”

“Not that much”

Edward frowned, daring to raise his head once again - the confusion enough to make his blush go down a little “Are you trying to say you’re not as holier than thou as you sell yourself as or that I’m actually a better person than people think? Because while I could get behind the first, you’re sorely mistaken on the second” he might have given up being a rogue for a less dangerous career but that had been absolutely out of selfishness: he was getting older, stints in Arkham had become harder and harder to endure and getting back on his feet after being roughed up by the Batman was no joke - Edward had retired the Riddler because he wanted to survive long enough to actually enjoy the wealth he had stolen during his criminal career, rather than out the goodness of his own heart, and becoming a private investigator had been the only sensible choice to make sure he wouldn’t slip back into the old ways out of sheer boredom.

“Can’t I mean both?”

“No. Yes” Edward rolled his eyes “I suppose”

Jim chuckled, reaching out to squeeze the other’s elbow “Come on, I’ll drive you back to the office” he encouraged before turning towards the agents idling around “Pack it up! I’ll see you at the precinct”

“I would like to have a look at the body”

“You know the rules, only after the GCPD’s medical examiner has written his own report” and the Commissioner’s permission but Jim was more than open about giving it to Edward, whenever they hired him as a private contractor; at the beginning, he had been rather wary about Edward’s seemingly sudden change of lifestyle but he had had to swallow down his pride and his doubts to ask for help - just like he had had to do for the Bat: saving lives was more important than drawing lines in the sand that would only get blurred in the blink of an eye. 

He had adapted to Gotham, he had come to accept it.

Jim let go of Edward’s elbow only to slip inside the car, trusting that the other wouldn’t kick up a fuss: predictably, the dark grey clouds that had been looming threateningly over the city for the whole morning were starting to unleash their fury, thick drops of water were falling faster and faster on the ground in prelude of a deluge that would wash away the city’s smog, at least temporarily “Do you need me to stop somewhere you can grab takeaway on the way over?”

“No” Edward’s mouth tightened as he slung the seatbelt across his chest and clicked it closed “But that’s weirdly nice of you to ask”

“I told you, you did a good job”

“For which I’m getting paid for - right?” was Jim trying to tell him that the GCPD was out of funds to pay private contractors? It wasn’t that he needed the money, he had more than enough squirrelled away in various bank accounts around the world, but still… he didn’t work for free - he didn’t do charity.

He wasn’t the kind of good samaritan Jim thought he had become.

“Your check will be ready for you to pick up tomorrow morning in my office”

“ _ Good _ ”

“Can’t I just be nice for the sake of it?”

“You said it was because I did a good job - it sounded a lot like some kind of reward”

“Because I thought you wouldn’t ask as many questions with my offer framed like that!”

“When have I ever  _ not _ asked questions?”

Jim sighed: Edward definitely had a point “So?”

“So - what?”

“Did you refuse the takeaway because of your suspicious nature or because you really don’t need it?”

Well, he technically didn’t need to buy food - there were plenty of things in his fridge that could be easily turned into a meal - but while he enjoyed cooking, it also was nice to just sprawl on the couch and eat straight from the carton while watching a gameshow or playing video games “There is an Indian place near my office”

“Gotcha”

“I suppose you could come upstairs and eat with me instead of running back to work and forgetting dinner” Edward blurted out, focusing harder on the rain falling heavily against the window.

“That’s-”

_ Fucking moronic. _

_ The stupidest thing I ever said. _

_ Demented. _

“-nice. I would like that”

_ Oh _ “Cool. That’s cool” he wasn’t going to get ahead of himself, it was a nice dinner amidst… colleagues. Friends. Ex-friends.

_ It was a nice dinner _ , full stop - with a kiss maybe: it had been so long since he had gotten to enjoy some affection, someone elses’s touch besides his own…  _ fuck _ . 

Why did he always make things complicated for himself?


End file.
